Continue to inspect mineral exploitation activities in Quy Hop district

Recently, on September 29, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 8250/UBND-NN to the following departments and branches: Natural Resources and Environment, Construction, Industry and Trade, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Justice, Provincial Police, Tax Department and People's Committees of districts and towns.

In particular, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to preside over and coordinate with the departments, branches and localities: Construction, Industry and Trade, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Provincial Tax Department, Provincial Police, Quy Hop District People's Committee to advise the Provincial People's Committee to establish an interdisciplinary inspection team to continue to inspect the compliance with the law in mineral activities of the remaining enterprises in Quy Hop district.

Document No. 8250/UBND-NN also stated that, in order to implement state management solutions in the field of minerals in the coming time, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to thoroughly advise on licensing mineral activities through the form of auctioning mineral exploitation rights; only consider licensing mineral types that serve urgent needs for the province's economic and social development activities and the operation process must ensure minimizing impacts on the landscape, environment, traffic infrastructure and the lives of local residents.

Preside over and coordinate with the Department of Justice and relevant agencies to review and advise the Provincial People's Committee to amend, supplement or replace legal documents on minerals under the authority of the Provincial People's Committee after the Law on Geology and Minerals and guiding documents take effect to comply with legal regulations.

There is a document proposing the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to integrate into the projects that are conducting basic geological and mineral surveys in the districts of Tan Ky, Que Phong and Quy Hop, including the content of finding the cause of subsidence to serve as a basis for state management of mineral resources and handling of violations by related organizations and individuals according to the provisions of law.

In 2021 and 2022, two interdisciplinary delegations established under Decisions No. 3892/QD-UBND dated October 21, 2021 and No. 1505/QD-UBND dated June 2, 2022 of the Provincial People's Committee inspected 22 organizations/32 mineral exploitation licenses; inspected the state management responsibilities in the mineral sector of the People's Committees of Quy Hop, Nghia Dan, Tan Ky, and Nam Dan districts. Through the inspection, violations of legal regulations on land, minerals, water resources, environmental protection, industrial explosives, labor safety, tax law compliance, etc. were discovered and clarified. In addition, the shortcomings and limitations of the 4 district People's Committees in state management of the mineral sector were also pointed out.

From the discovery and clarification of violations by 22 organizations, the Interdisciplinary Team drew up a record of administrative violations and transferred the file to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, the Tax Department and the Chairmen of the People's Committees of related districts to impose administrative sanctions on these organizations.

The total amount of fines and tax arrears is over VND24,942 million. Of which, fines and arrears for tax violations are over VND18,384 million; fines for land violations are over VND2,141 million; fines for mineral violations are over VND3,491 million; fines for environmental violations are VND330 million; fines for water resources are VND110 million; fines for construction are VND50 million; fines for industrial explosives are VND115 million; fines for labor safety are VND321 million.

Also during the time the two interdisciplinary inspection teams were conducting the inspection,Toan Thang Company Limitedhad to declare additional tax obligations from 2018 to 2022, pay to the state budget a total of taxes and fees of VND 17,998,238,446; pay late payment penalties for the newly declared additional amount of VND 2,994,146,196.